


Midnight Mass

by SmokySky



Series: Tommy Shelby's 12 Days Of Christmas [11]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Advent Calendar, Advent Calendar Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Mabel Misses Tommy, Marriage Proposal, So She Goes To Church, The War Has Started, midnight mass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21993205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmokySky/pseuds/SmokySky
Summary: 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar fic based on the prompt: Midnight Mass.Mabel has missed Tommy since he went to fight in France...but by some Christmas miracle, he makes it back just in time for Christmas. And he has the perfect gift, too.
Relationships: Tommy Shelby/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Tommy Shelby's 12 Days Of Christmas [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559590
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43





	Midnight Mass

**Author's Note:**

> The second to last story in my twelve Christmas-themed advent calendar drabbles for the Twelve Days Of Christmas - and the second story posted in one day! I've actually had this one written for a little while, so I actually just couldn't wait to post it.
> 
> Tommy and his brothers have gone to fight in France...but Tommy makes it back to Small Heath just in time for Christmas. And to give Mabel another surprise...

Mabel ducked her head as she entered the Church, ignoring the strange look she got from the priest as she followed Polly to the pews.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected - Mabel was barely Christian, and on the odd occasion she did go to Church, she went to the Protestant Church her family had gone to when she was a child. But with Ada...distracted by Freddie bloody Thorne being back on leave, there was no-one to go to Midnight Mass with Polly apart from Mabel. Polly might’ve said she was fine to go to the service alone, but Mabel wouldn’t do that to her. This time of year was hard for Polly; she’d lost her children to the Parish, and now all her nephews were stuck in the fucking mud in France, constantly in fear that she was going to lose them too. So even if she wasn’t Catholic, Mabel would gladly cover her hair, duck her head, and attend Midnight Mass with Polly.

Because having the Shelby brothers in France was hard for her too.

Especially Tommy.

As far as Mabel was concerned, Arthur and John were just as much her brothers as Edward and Harrison were: and having all four of them in constant danger was enough to make her want to tear her hair out in worry some days. But Tommy...Tommy had been her best friend since they were children, and as they had grown up, so had their feelings. Mabel missed him like she would a lost limb, as well as being constantly terrified that she might have already seen him for the last time. She did everything she could to not think that way, but no matter how hard she tried to block the thoughts out, they haunted her: especially at quiet times like now, when the priest was talking to the otherwise silent congregation.

With none of the usual ways to distract herself, though, there was nothing Mabel could do but sit next to Polly with a respectful expression, and secretly count the minutes until they got to the hymns so she could distract herself by trying to not offend anyone with her awful singing. Surely it couldn’t be too long - Mass had started at eleven, and the priest had been speaking for half an hour at least…

Between trying to distract herself from thinking about Tommy and wondering if she could somehow discreetly check her watch to see how long until midnight without anyone noticing and getting offended, Mabel almost missed the Church going quiet around her. It was only when Polly turned around in the pew that Mabel turned to see what she was looking at.

_Tommy._

Standing at the back of the Church, still in his uniform, looking vaguely uncomfortable about having everyone turn to look at him, was Tommy Shelby himself.

Mabel was up and out of her seat without even thinking - one minute she was sitting down, the next she was throwing herself into Tommy’s waiting arms and picking lifted off her feet with the force of his hold on her. They must’ve been a hell of a sight, desperately clutching each other in full view of the priest and congregation, but Mabel didn’t give a flying fuck what any of them, or even God himself, thought of them right now. She had Tommy back, warm and alive in her arms, and that was all that mattered.

Everyone and everything else could go to hell.

Eventually, though, the feeling of being stared at was enough to separate the two of them...even though they didn’t part completely: staying connected by holding hands as they turned to face the congregation. Despite the interruption to the service, nobody seemed in the slightest bit concerned, even the priest. Mabel knew it was less of an acceptance of hers and Tommy’s relationship _(it seemed despite them being together since they were sixteen, people still seemed to think it was strange that a Gypsy boy from Watery Lane was going steady with a middle-class daughter of a tailor)_ and more because every man, woman, and child in here knew what it was like seeing a loved one you weren’t certain was every going to return.

Whatever the reason, she’d accept the lack of condemnation. Tommy might not care for the Church or religion in general, but Mabel would prefer not to embarrass Polly. Though Polly was beaming when the two of them squeezed into the pew next to her, fighting back tears as she cupped Tommy’s cheeks before turning back to the sermon with everyone else, giving Tommy and Mabel as much privacy as they could get in a crowded Church.

It didn’t matter; the pair of them would take what they would get: having long learned how to make the best of what they were given. They leaned into each other: Tommy’s arm around Mabel’s shoulders as she rested her head against his shoulder, both of them still clutching onto each other’s hands. They didn’t need to speak, because there was nothing to say. They both knew they were blessed to have Tommy back here, safe and away from the fighting, and they both knew that that safe time back home was already running out. No much how much they’d missed each other, no matter how much they both knew they would miss each other when he went back to France, all they could do was use the time they had been given to the best they could. And until they could get some real privacy, that was soaking in each other’s presence as much as possible, enjoying the sense of serenity that came with being in Church, listening to everyone around them singing Christmas hymns.

“I thought of you everyday.” Tommy murmured, when the hymns were loud enough that no-one but could hear him but Mabel.

“I thought of you too.” she replied, squeezing his hand: “I’m so glad you made it home for Christmas...”

Tommy’s smile was tired, but Mabel could see it managed to reach his eyes, and that was enough to make her answering smile genuine: “I fought tooth and nail, but I made it. Though I’ll admit, Arthur giving shoving me into the only free space on the last train out of Dover helped.”

“He has his uses.”

“Sometimes.” Tommy smirked: “Trust me, he wasn’t being nice - he only did it because John told him he’d be a selfish prick if he didn’t let _John_ get home.”

“Your brothers are actual monsters, you know that? Finn’s the only one getting a present this year.” Mabel teased.

Tommy’s smirk became less amused, and more...hungry: “Oh, not the _only one_ , I hope.”

“Tommy Shelby, you are in a Church.” Mabel reprimanded, trying to act scandalised when really all she wanted to do was laugh: “Hang your head in shame.”

“Never.” Tommy grinned, leaning in to peck Mabel chastely on the lips, just as it seemed the sermon was wrapping up.

Mabel had never been happier to get out of Church in her life.

She almost bolted right out of there - much to Polly’s bemusement - but Tommy held her back. Mabel looked over her shoulder to see what was going on...only for her heart to stop when she saw Tommy on one knee: holding up an open ring box.

“Mabel Oakes...I don’t know how much longer it’ll be until they ship me out again...but while I’m still here...would you do me the honour of agreeing to marry me?”

It felt like the whole Church was watching them with baited breath - waiting to see what she would say - all while Mabel was looking at Tommy through a sudden blur of tears. Because of course she was about to cry.

She didn’t think she’d ever been happier. 

“Oh Tommy, of course I will!”

Looking close to tears himself, Tommy carefully slid his mother’s engagement ring onto her finger, before closing his fingers around hers before rising to his feet pulling her in for a kiss while the whole Church clapped for them.

“You’ve made me the happiest man alive.” he muttered, pulling back far enough only so much as to be able to speak: his lips still brushing lightly against hers as he did so: “I promise you, you’ll never want for anything. Never.”

“Of course I won’t.” Mabel smiled softly: “I’ll have you.”

He was all she ever wanted.


End file.
